Credit notes let you cancel out, fully or partially, an invoice you've already submitted, and Spendesk automates how they're applied and recorded.

For: all users submitting invoices, on accounts using file-based accounting exports or supported native accounting integrations.

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🔒 Access: Credit note submission and management are available on all billing plans, provided your account uses one of the accounting export methods listed above.

💡 Tip: The credit note is automatically approved once submitted — no manual approval step is required.

You or your supplier can forward a credit note as an email attachment to your company's dedicated Spendesk forwarding address, which starts with bills+.... You can find this address in Expenditures > Inbox or in the side panel when selecting Submit a new invoice.

If an employee forwards the credit note from their Spendesk email address, it appears in their personal Inbox. If a supplier sends it, ask them to add the relevant employee in CC so Spendesk can assign the credit note to them automatically. If no Spendesk user is recognised, the credit note appears in the shared Inbox, accessible to Controllers and the Account Owner.

If Spendesk identifies a forwarded credit note as an invoice, open the document from the Inbox and click Not an invoice? in the top-right corner. On the next screen, select Credit note, then check the pre-filled information and submit the document.

The credit note feature supports three main use cases:

The options available depend on the status of the reference invoice:

When to use this option: the reference invoice and the credit note are both in Invoices > Review.
​Impact on invoice payment: the credit note amount is subtracted from the invoice amount. For example, a €10 credit note applied to a €20 invoice results in a payment of €10.
​Impact on bookkeeping: the invoice and the credit note are treated as separate payables (an amount owed for goods or services) in Bookkeep > Prepare and All payables. Export both to your accounting software via Bookkeep > Export.

When to use this option: the reference invoice and credit note are both in Invoices > Review, or the reference invoice is already scheduled for payment or has already been paid.
​Impact on invoice payment: the stored supplier credit is deducted from the invoice amount.
​Impact on bookkeeping: the invoice and the credit note are treated as separate payables in Expenditures > All Expenses > All payables. Export both to your accounting software via Bookkeep > Export.

When to use this option: the supplier reimbursed the credit note amount directly to your company's bank account.
​Impact on invoice payment: the credit note does not affect any invoice. It appears on the All payables page with the status "Refunded", and shows as a refund payment on the All payments page.
​Impact on bookkeeping: the invoice and the credit note are treated as separate payables. Export both to your accounting software via Bookkeep > Export.

💡 Tip: In single-entry file-based accounting exports, a credit note is treated as a negative payable. In double-entry file-based accounting exports, the amount is printed with the debit and credit columns reversed compared to standard invoice payables.

Symptom: You can't cancel a credit note after validating it in Invoices > Review.
​Cause: Once validated, credit notes cannot be cancelled directly.
​Resolution: Mark the credit note as "Refunded outside Spendesk" instead. It remains visible in your payables but no longer counts against future invoices.

Symptom: You can't find the invoice a credit note should reference.
​Cause: You only see invoices that you personally submitted.
​Resolution: When submitting the credit note, select "I do not have the reference invoice" if the original invoice was submitted by someone else.

Symptom: You need to add two credit notes to a single invoice.
​Cause: Applying multiple individual credit notes directly to one invoice isn't supported.
​Resolution: Record each credit note for future use, then apply the combined (grouped) credit to the invoice as a single application.

Can the credit note amount be higher than the invoice amount?
Yes. Spendesk applies the maximum possible amount of the credit note to the invoice, so no invoice payment is required. The remaining credit note amount is recorded at the supplier level for use on future invoices.

How do I add the credit note number to my purchase journal export?
Go to Settings > Exports, open your custom export, and add the Credit Note number column.

How do I know which invoice a credit note refers to?
Go to All payables, filter by Type: Credit note, and select the credit note to check its "Reference" invoice number.

How do I know how many credit notes have been applied to an invoice?
Go to Invoices > History, click on the relevant invoice, and check the sidebar on the right.

How do I update a credit note that was saved for future use but ends up reimbursed outside Spendesk instead?
Go to Invoices > Review, open the invoice, click "...", then "Manage credit notes". Click the "-" sign and Save changes.

Can I submit a credit note from the mobile app?
Not currently.

Are credit notes subject to the approval workflow?
No, credit notes are auto-approved.

👥 Roles: Any user who can submit an invoice can also submit a credit note; no additional role is required.